Goals

To celebrate our tech-savvy students, FLVS is hosting a contest from Dec. 3, 2018 through Jan. 14, 2019. We want to see how our students are engaging in computer science activities — from coding to construction!

Three lucky winners – one in elementary, one in middle, and one in high school – will be chosen to receive an iPad generously donated by the FLVS Foundation. Winners will be selected based on the quality, creativity, uniqueness, and relevance of their entry. Continue reading

FLVS has certainly grown since we first opened our virtual doors in 1997. We’ve come a long way over the years, and so have our students!

During our recent photo contest, students told us how they have grown thanks to FLVS and where they see themselves in the future. Last month, we shared our three contest winners, but there were so many amazing entries that we had to include a few honorable mentions…

Summer is in full swing, and if you’re a student, that most likely means no schoolwork and no intensive schedule to follow.

You’re ready to relax as you’ve worked hard and earned this welcomed break. It may feel like summer will last forever and that you’ll have plenty of time to do all those things you think of doing during the school year.

But while summer is a nice stretch of time, June, July, and August go all too quick…

(Can you believe it’s almost July already?)

So to make the most of the endless sunshine, here are five thoughts on how to make your summer great. Continue reading

This is the sixth post in a series by former FLVS student Makaila, a model, author, and anti-bullying advocate.

The holiday season is upon us, which means two things. One, the holidays are almost here, but more importantly, winter break is closer than you think.

Let this winter break be one that will go down in history as one of your most productive times of the year. After your finals or year-end assignments, sit back and relax and hangout with those who mean something special to you.

The past year may have been rough, and at times like this, it is perfect to reflect on those who have stuck by your side through thick and thin. And for those who haven’t, maybe this is the perfect time to let go so you can start fresh in the new year. Weed out the negative people in your life, and appreciate the right ones.

Take time this holiday season to learn and reflect on the things you wish you could have changed, like relationships and other endeavors…or even if you procrastinated a little too much. But wait – if you are focused on becoming better next year (which is so close), you may wonder “What did I do wrong?” Well, we all do things wrong. No one is perfect and now is a great time to realize that. Continue reading

On Saturday, November 19, I had the privilege of watching the GOES-R weather satellite launch from Kennedy Space Center.

Now you may be wondering what GOES-R stands for. It’s the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, a satellite system that orbits the earth and sends data back to National Weather Service computers. The R indicates what number or version the GOES satellite is on, so there have already been versions A-R. GOES-S is slated to launch next year and is the twin to GOES-R.

Of course, weather satellites get launched all the time, so why would this one be any more special than the others?

Well, right now we receive images of satellite scans every 30 minutes or so. The GOES-R satellite will provide data at least every five minutes, and in some circumstances every 30 seconds! So not only will it be five times faster than current weather satellites, but it will also gather three times more data and it will have four times better resolution. Continue reading

Over the last several weeks, FLVS students have been sharing what makes them unique in our fall photo contest on social media.

Using Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, participants were asked to submit a photo showing what makes them one-of-a-kind using #IAMFLVS.

It was truly inspiring to see so many entries (including many of our new elementary students!) and hear all of your stories. We also enjoyed following the journey of several students who participated in our contest in years past!

We loved hearing how the flexibility of FLVS allows you to be yourself and follow your dreams.

As we have in previous contests, three winners were selected…one at random, one by our judges, and one by popular vote.

In a nutshell, NASA is sending a spacecraft to an asteroid named Bennu. Once it reaches Bennu (after a trip lasting two years), the spacecraft will orbit the asteroid for about a year, find the perfect place to collect about 80 grams of the rock, and head back home, arriving back to Earth in 2023.

It won’t actually land on the asteroid, but instead hover over it – and with the help of Canada and their amazing knowledge of spacecraft arms – will grab a small sample. (To put this in perspective, 80 grams is about the equivalent of 80 Skittle candies.)

This post was written by Shalyah Fearing, FLVS student and contestant on The Voice, Season 10.

Have you ever dreamed about a goal that you want to accomplish in life? I have.

Chase after your dreams. You might actually catch one!

I always wanted to audition for “The Voice.” I thought the show was unique compared to all the others. The chairs aren’t facing you during your audition! They can’t judge you off of your looks or style. They can only judge by your voice and that’s it. Genius!

I decided at the age of 12 that I was going to audition for this show and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Here comes that ping of doubt sitting in the corner of your mind. The kind of doubt that only comes out of its corner to crush your dreams when the time comes.

“Shalyah. Do you honestly think that out of thousands of singers here to audition, that you’ll get a slot? Why try?” that voice would ask me. Continue reading

This post was written by tenth grade high school student Madison Toonder. Read about Maddie’s oyster research in a previous blog post here.

In October 2015, I was awarded a scholarship to attend any pre-collegiate program of my choice for winning second place in the nation in STEM mathematics at the Broadcom MASTERS national science fair competition in San Francisco, California.

I chose the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University’s two-week summer intensive in Massachusetts because it is directly related to my career path.

Tufts’ program is designed to give high school students insight into the rigors of veterinary school. During the program, we attended lectures, studied animal anatomy through fascinating dissections and hands-on palpitations, completed hospital rounds with fourth-year veterinary students, and explored the many different possible career paths within veterinary medicine. My daily agenda was varied and included activities such as learning proper techniques for handling animals, observing surgical procedures, and learning how to perform routine check-ups on a variety of different animals. One of my favorite activities was suturing bananas to practice proper technique. Continue reading